Black Maternal Health

Did you know? Black women and pregnant persons in the United States are three times more likely to die as the result of pregnancy than white patients.

Duffy Health Center’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Lisa Jones shares, “As an OB/GYN, I believe that efforts to reduce the excess maternal mortality for Black patients requires increasing awareness of, and then eliminating, barriers to care such as systemic racism and inequities in the social determinants of health.”

As Dr. Jones points out, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention affirms that factors contributing to the disparity include lower quality health care, structural racism, and implicit bias from healthcare providers.

Duffy Health Center is committed to reducing racial health disparities for pregnant persons. Current initiatives include:

  • The addition of Dr. Jones in her role as a gynecologist ensures access for our patients, in an environment where they are already comfortable. 
  • Our Moms Do Care program supports pregnant and parenting persons with case management, counseling, and access to resources. 
  • In her role as therapist on the Moms Do Care team, Mariel Bitter, LICSW, PMH-C, offers perinatal mental health support to Duffy patients. She also offers free support groups for Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) throughout the Cape community. Learn more by clicking here.